brush

1 [countable]an object made of short stiff hairs (called bristles ) or wires set in a block of wood or plastic, usually attached to a handle. Brushes are used for many different jobs, such as cleaning, painting and tidying your hair.a paintbrusha hairbrusha toothbrushbrush strokes (= the marks left by a brush when painting)a dustpan and brushApply the paint with a fine brush.See related entries:Art equipment

2[singular]an act of brushingto give your teeth a good brush

3[singular]a light touch made in passing something/somebodythe brush of his lips on her cheek

4[countable]brush with somebody/somethinga short unfriendly meeting with somebody; an occasion when you nearly experience something unpleasantShe had a nasty brush with her boss this morning.In his job he's had frequent brushes with death.a brush with the law

Word Originnounsenses 1 to 4 and nounsense 6Middle English: noun from Old Frenchbroisse; verb partly from Old Frenchbrosser

‘to sweep’

. nounsense 5Middle English: from Old Frenchbroce, perhaps based on Latinbruscum, denoting an excrescence on a maple.Extra examplesRemove all the rust with a wire brush.Scrub the wood thoroughly with water and a stiff brush.She ran a brush through her hair.She took a can of paint and dipped her brush in it.The artist has used tiny brush strokes.to give your hair/​teeth a good brushIdioms